Dramas like Hospital Playlist, Doctors, Dr. Romantic and more have been pivotal in showing the viewers the challenges the doctors and medical staff face on a personal and professional levels. While doing so, these dramas also produce resonating stories which are no less than a healing binge. There have been medical dramas in the West, too, which have showed us what goes behind the fast-paced life of a medical professional. 2024 brings us a new slice-of-life drama with two doctors in the lead. Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik, reunite after 11 years since their last stint in The Heirs in 2013, for captivating drama Doctor Slump. With a compelling approach, the drama welcomes the viewers into the lives of Nam Ha Neul (played by Park Shin Hye) and Yeo Jeong Woo (played by Park Hyung Sik).
Doctor Slump Review: Park Hyung Sik and Park Shin Hye navigate go from academic rivals to resilient doctors in riveting slice-of-life drama
In the first four episodes, we are introduced to the two leads and their storylines. Ha Neul has been the top student of her class since high school. She is a symbol of pride for her mother and her uncle. After completing her medical studies, she became a very reliable and hardworking anesthesiologist. At her work place, she bent over her back to fulfill her duties, oftentimes ignoring her needs. As a result, she went into depression. With Ha Neul, we see how mental health can be affected and the effects would go unnoticed, citing it is just a basic illness of the body. Her mother does not accept that her daughter could be on medication for mental health illness. But eventually she comes around. She decides to take a sabbatical and focus on herself and healing herself. In times like these, when we are often chasing our dreams and goals of the future we often forget that we live in the present. It becomes easy to fit into a mundane cycle of chores and work, without so much as having a thought about how it is affecting oneself in the long run. There have been dramas which glorify the career of a doctor or a medical professional. Sure, they show the struggles, the challenges and the hardships faced by the professionals, but oftentimes the talk about mental health goes unchecked. These professionals are shown falling sick, or taking a break, but how often have they sought help from a mental health professional? Ha Neul’s character visiting a mental health professional is a step towards that direction.
Yeo Jeong Woo is one of the most popular plastic surgeons of the present times. What started as a simple YouTube video, spawned into a proper side business for him? With millions worth of endorsements, Jeong Woo partakes in an equal amount of charity too. He has a successful and highly sought after practice. His success and fame is eclipsed when a foreign national patient dies on the operation table. He is suspected of foul play and attempted murder. Overnight, his luck changes and he loses everything. Being in the public eye, he faces neglect everywhere he goes after the case. With the help of a few friends and lawyers, he prepares to pitch his innocence and find the ones who are truly the reason for the patient’s death.
Ha Neul and Jeong Woo’s history dates back to their high school days which were fueled by fierce competition to become the top student. When Ha Neul moves to Seoul, Jeong Woo becomes competitive as he found a match for his overachieving self. The two eventually lost touch after pursuing their careers. But as fate would have it, they cross paths again, but at the lowest points in their lives. On the day they realize their lives will be full of struggle, they decide to drown their sorrows in a few bottles of soju. Inadvertently, they end up consoling and giving support to each other. Thus, begins the healing journey of two doctors in a slump. Ha Neul and Jeong Woo are a cute enemies to lovers pair whose onscreen presence only lights up the screen with laughter and happy tears.
Park Hyung Sik and Park Shin Hye exude palpable chemistry from the get-go as the newest Park-Park K-drama pair. Stepping into romantic leads, their portrayals are a delightful blend of laughter, tears, joys, and sorrows. Captivating the audience with hilarious comical bits as Jeong Woo, Park Hyung Sik brings much needed humour to this beautiful story. Yoon Park, playing Bin Dae Young, Jeong Woo’s senior, injects humour with his jealousy-fueled antics, from surreptitious monitoring to unexpected appearances at social events.
As for the pacing of the drama, it does seem slow at the start. But when you talk about heavy and sensitive topics like a career break, dealing with scrutiny in the public eye and mental health, one needs ample time to etch the story on the canvas. The timeline moves back and forth from the high school days to the present. It sometimes also sports a voiceover by either lead. The transitions settle well once the scene begins. It does not take much time to pick up hints for the next possible progression. The bright visuals of the drama paired with a soft soundtrack mellow down the heaviness of the story.
With an endearing plotline, funny yet strong leads and a great watch value, Doctor Slump is undoubtedly heading to become one of the most loved dramas of 2024. Weekend binge is sorted with Doctor Slump airing on Saturdays and Sundays. Four episodes have aired, and we have twelve more to go. What do you think about the drama so far? Would you like to see a second lead pairing? Let us know in the comments below!
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